Return-ball equipment for billiard tables and the like



Feb. 26, 1935. w, B, SAWYER I 1,992,507

FETURN BALL EQUIPMENT FOR BILLIARD TABLES AND THE LIKE Filed July 29,1955 INVENTOR. 14a Y 14 14a 75 IVilliam B Sawyer.

Patented Feb. 26, 1935 UNITED srar RETURN-BALL EQUIPMENT FOR BILLIARDTABLES AND 'THE LIKE William B. Sawyer, Kennelmnkport, Maine, as-

signorto The Burrowes Corporation,

Maine Portland,

Application Jnly 29, 1933, SerialNo. 682,805

5 Claims.

V This invention relates, in general terms, to billiard and pool tablesbut deals more. particularly with improvements in equipment forassembling the balls in a common receptacle and carrier after they havepassed into and out of the various pockets of the table.

I am aware of the fact that apparatus for returning the balls to somedesignated station has heretofore been employed on standard orregulation size billiard tables, and also that attempts have been madefrom time to time to supply a satisfactory outfit for the purpose namedfor folding-leg tables, with which type the present invention isprincipally concerned.

But to the present time, insofar as I have knowledge, no equipment ofthischaracter has been evolved which has fully met the requirements orbeen acclaimed by public approval.

In my return-ball equipment I have discarded the 'fabric' or yieldablepockets and substituted therefor substantially non-elastic ones. Thisgives more or less of a rebound to the ball and assists inquicklyclearing the pocket.

The ball-runway extending from each of the four corner pockets comprisestwo spaced rods, their ends adjacent the pocket being somewhat steeplyinclined to give the ball an initial impetus 'suincient to carryit tothe ball-receiving member, in this instance a drawer which'can beremoved from either side of the table.

The inner ends of the run-ways are vertically movable indrawer-supporting angle members and'provision is made whereby they yieldto permit of the legs of the table being folded closely. The drawerwhich receives the balls as they pass from the pockets is so constructedthat the complete-set of balls finally dispose themselves on thecentral, longitudinal portion of the drawer bottom.

The opening out of each pocket element is preferably elliptical inshape. The central portion of the opening provides ample space throughwhich to enter the ball, and the'constricted ends there- 'of serve tocentrally align the ball with the two rods of the ball run-way.

Other features of the invention will be disclosed in the detaileddescription following, and in the drawing accompanying and made apart ofthis application a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated.

In the drawing,-

Fig. 1 is an inverted plan view of a billiard or pool table with'myequipment installed thereon, the folding legs being omitted from thisview;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary transverse sectional elevation. of the table andequipmenathe section being taken on line 2e-2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of acorner pocket element showing a portionof the ball run-way; Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a portion of lthe ball-receiving drawer and ball runways;

Fig. 4a shows an alternate method of constructing the run-way rods; 7 V

Fig. 5 shows a ball disposed on therods .of the ball run-way, the rodsbeing in section;

Fi 6 is a plan view of one corner of the billiard table; v Fig. 7 is aside elevation, partly in section, of the ball-receiving drawer, showingthe false bottom, and Fig. 8 is a view illustrating certain featureshaving to do with the centralizing of the ball over the ball run-way,the view being in inverted plan. Similar reference characters areemployed to identify like parts in all the difierent views of thedrawing. 4

Referring to the drawing, 1 represents, for the sake of illustrating theinvention, either a billiard or a pool table, 2 one of the fourfolding-legs therefor, and 3 a brace for locking the leg in extendedposition. Cut through the table at each of its corners is an opening ithrough which the balls 5 pass to the substantially semi-sphericalpocket element 6.

These elements 6 may be made of any rigid or .30

semi-1igid material, but preferably are constructed of pressed steel,which is in contrast to the conventional method in which some fabric,knit or woven material, isemployed.

On the side portions of the table are dispose pocket elements 6a,similar to pockets 6 except as will hereinafter be pointed ou i In mypreferred construction I line these pock- I ets, 6 and 6a with a softmaterial, as for instance felt, 7, which acts to greatly reduce thenoise 40 which would otherwise be caused by impact of the ball againstthe metal pocket elements.

In the bottom of each pocket element is an opening 8 preferably ofelliptical contour, and straddling this opening and disposed on theouter side of each element 6 are two ears 9, the elements 6a not beingequipped with the latter. These ears serve to support one end of each ofthe two rods 10, horizontally spaced and constituting a ball run-way. p

Transversely disposed beneath the table 1 are two angle bar membersll-secured' to the under side of the table bottom la by brackets 12. Theinner ends of the members 10 each have a com- 'parativelylong off-setportion 10a which pass vious that this false bottom might beincorporated in the drawer itself, or made a part thereof,

' but for manufacturing reasonsI prefer the structure as shown.

By reference to Figs. 1 and 4 it will be observed that the two sets ofrun-ways 10 on therespective sides of the angular members 11 connectwith the latter at widely separated points thereon.

It will also be noted that the balls, rolling off the run-ways drop onto the inclined portions of the false bottom, 14a. Thus the balls fromthe corner pockets, as well also as those from the side pocketsgravitate toward the center of the drawer,

on the portion 14, and while there disposed they 'do not interfere withthe reception of the balls to the drawer from any one of the pockets.

The rods 10, for a short distance from the pockets 6, are bentdownwardly at a somewhat steeper pitch than obtains for therest of theirlengths. This gives the ball an initial forward urge and insures itsreaching the ball-receiving drawer without too forcibly driving it.

There is, however, a diminution in the speed of travel of the ball as itproceeds along the slightly inclined portion of the run-way, due notalone to the natural and gradual exhaustion of the energy it hasacquired by falling from the pocket on the rods 10, but also by reasonof the fact that it contacts with the rods on a latitudinal circle Lwhich is of much smaller diameter than the equatorial circle E on whichit would travel were a trough substituted for the two rods. It is asthough the ball had short, small diameter trunnions projecting from itsopposite sides and that these trunnions travelled along and rolled onthe rods. The initial momentum stored up in the ball would keep itrevolving quite rapidly'but its advance would be slowed-up by therolling contact of the small trunnions. And for this reason the ballsenter the drawer with less impact force and noise. Fig. 5 illustratesthe speed-retarding effect resulting from the ball rolling on its sidesrather than on its bottom. Itis possible, of course, and I may elect toconstruct the rods 10 straight, or without the bent portion 100, asshown in Fig. 411.

As has hereinbefore been stated the openings 8 are preferably madeelliptical in shape.

By reference to Fig. 8 it will be noted that the ball is shown in twodot and dash line positions within the opening 8. In the positionindicated.

as 5a the ball has dropped from the pocket and entered the opening atits larger part, but in this position it does not align with the tworods 10.

As it continuesdownwardly it engages the narrower part of the openingand is drawn into the position marked 5b, directly over the rods and incentral alignment therewith; but until the ball reaches this position(51)) it cannot jump from "the pocket or off the rods on to the floor.

In Fig. 2 the rods 10 are depicted in two positions, one in full and theother in dot and dash lines. In the full line position the apparatus isin working order, but when it is required to fold the legs 2, incidentto laying the table aside, the cross-bars 2a, transverselyinterconnecting the legs 2, would interfere with the folding operationwere the rods fixed and unyielding on their inner ends.

For this reason the portions 10a. are made to retract through the holes11a, the cross-tie 2a abutting on the rods 10 lifting them into theposition shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2.

It-is therefore never necessary to detach any part of the apparatus whenfolding the legs, and

the complete table and return-ball equipment, after the legs are folded,may be inserted in the shipping carton which was originally designed forthe table alone. 7

The prime object of my equipment, as is ap- 'parent,is to assemble theballs in a conveniently requiring little if any manual handling of theballsthemselves.

The equipment is extremely light, which is a desideratum in portabletables, compact in form, quiet and efficient in operation. Moreover thecost entailed in equiping a billiard table is not comparablewith theconvenience and pleasure experienced by the players in using myapparatus.

What I claim is:

1. A return-ball device for folding-leg billiard tables and the likecomprising a non-elastic, semispherical ball pocket element havingthrough its bottom portion an elliptical aperture, a ballreceivingdrawer, a ball run-way leading to said drawer from said pocket element,said run-way starting from said pocket element at a sharp downwardincline for a relatively short distance and continuing to said drawer ata slight declination from horizontal, and means whereby the inner end ofsaid run-way may be retracted for thepurpose of preventing conflict withthe legs of said table when folded.

2. In a device of the character described adapted for use on a billiardtable to assemble the balls for convenient racking, comprising aplurality of rigid ball pocket elements arranged at the corners and atthe two sides of said table, each of said pocket elements having anopening through its bottom end, a slide-way disposed intermediate theends of said table, a ball-receiving drawer mounted in said slide-wayand adapted to be withdrawn from either side thereof, a bottom in saiddrawer having inclined ends merging into a central, horizontal depressedportion, said drawer being constructed and positioned to receive theballs directly as they drop from the said side pocket elements, and aball run-way interconnecting each of the corner pocket elements withsaid slide-way, the connecting points of the respective run-ways withsaid slide-way being located abreast of either one or the other of theinclined portions of the bottom of said drawer when in operativeposition in said slide-way.

3. A return-ball equipment adapted for use on The false bottom on theinclined portions spherical shape pocket element secured to and disposedbeneath said table, at each corner thereof, said element having anelliptical opening in its bottom, out obliquely with its axis, aslide-way secured to and on the under side of said table, a drawerslidable in and removable from said slideway, a bottom element for saiddrawer, having three defined but merging surfaces, including a central,horizontal portion and two end portions each inclined upwardly from saidcentral portion, and a ball run-way, including two horizontally spacedrods, connecting each of said corner pocket elements with saidslide-way, the points of connection of each of said run-ways with saidslideway being abreast of either one or the other of the said inclinedportions of said bottom element when said drawer is in position in saidslide-way.

4. A return-ball equipment for a folding-leg billiard table having aplurality of openings therein comprising a non-elastic substantiallysemispherical pocket element having an elliptical opening disposedobliquely to the axis of said element, said opening being at the bottomof said element and for the purpose of discharging a billiard balltherefrom, one of said elements being secured to said table beneath eachof said table openings, a ball-receiving drawer, two horizontally spacedrods for conducting the billiard balls from each of the corner pocketsof said billiard table to said drawer, said rods being more steeplyinclined for a short distance from each of said pockets than for theremainder of the distance to said ball-receiving drawer and means insaid drawer whereby the balls are automatically assembled in thelongitudinally central portion thereof.

5. A return-ball equipment for folding-leg billiard tables havingopenings at the corners and at the sides thereof, comprising asemi-spherical, non-elastic ball pocket element one of which is securedto the under side of said table beneath each of the said openingstherein and having through its lower portion an elliptical aperture cutobliquely to its axis, a drawer slide-way, including two angularmembers, having holes therein, disposed beneath and tranversely of saidtable, means to suspend said slide-way from the under side of saidtable, a ball-receiving drawer operable in said slide-way, twodownwardly extending ears on the pocket elements located at the cornersof said table, a'run-way which balls may traverse after being dischargedfrom said pocket elements, said run-way includingtwo horizontally spacedrods the outer ends of which engage and are supported by said ears, saidrods extending from said ears for a relatively short distance at acomparatively steep pitch, and continuing to said slide-way at but aslight decline from horizontal, a downwardly offset portion on the innerends of each of said slightly declining portions of said rods, saidofiset portions adaptable of vertical movement, respectively, in theholes in said angular member, whereby they may retract forthe purpose offolding the legs of said table, and a head on each offset portion tohold said rods against displacement from said angular member.

WILLIAM B. SAWYER.

